What weather is and how it affects them in their lives. How people and animals adapt to the specific types of weather. We want students be able to: Describe what weather is. Identify differents types of weather. Identify the causes of weather. Identify the effects of weather. Weather Safety. Lesson Excerpt
What’s the weather going to be like tomorrow? We hear this question all the time. What is weather, exactly?
When people talk about the weather, they are talking about the changes that happen in the atmosphere. The atmosphere is the layer of air surrounding the Earth. Changes in the atmosphere cause changes in temperature, wind, cloudiness, air pressure, and moisture. The amount of moisture in the air can lead to rain, fog, sleet, or snow. People need to know about these changes so they can plan what to wear, what they’re going to do, and whether they need to take an umbrella. Farmers need to know about the weather to plan when to plant or harvest crops.
Continued... Students will learn:
* About the different types of weather
* To write definitions of the different types of weather
* To write a short summary of the different types of weather
* To write a weather journal
First, the students will read about the different kinds of weather in their science book. They will need to take notes as they read.
Then, they will make an outline of the information and the order they want to have for their journal.
They need to include the different kinds of weather and write definitions for each kind. For example, they would write hurricane. They would write a definition for hurricane.
Then, they would write a short summary of a hurricane.
They need to use a different page for each type of weather.
When they have completed their journal, they can draw a cover for it.
Then, they can place another piece of construction paper on the back. They can punch holes to match the holes in the notebook paper.
After that, they can put a strip of colored yarn through the holes and tie a bow in the center. That will hold the pages together.
Weather
1. Another lesson plan allows second-graders to learn more about how science interacts with their lives. For a weather lesson plan, describe terms like temperature, cloud, snow, rain, wind, hurricane and earthquake. Reinforce vocabulary through textbook exercises as well as by providing students with weather crossword puzzles and word games. Pass out copies of a weather report and have students practice identifying temperature highs and lows. If students have access to computers, find free online games like through spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/en/kids/cloudsat_puz2.shtml created by NASA or apples4theteacher.com/science.html.
Students will learn about the water cycle as an essential element to understanding weather and weather systems. Clouds:
Look up into the sky on most days and you may see clouds.
Clouds are made when air is cooled to a temperature where water in the air becomes visible. This temperature is called the dewpoint.
Dust is also needed to form clouds.
The water condenses on the tiny specs; just like the mist in your bathroom condenses on your shower curtain.
As you go higher in the atmosphere, the cooler the temperature gets.
Sometimes clouds are formed because moist air is forced upward over mountains.
Scientists who study weather are called meteorologists. They look at the temperature, air pressure, winds and clouds and tell us whether to expect rain or cold air. Meteorologists have names for different kinds of clouds. These names describe what the cloud looks like and how far above the ground the cloud is.
Cumulus:
Big fluffy clouds are called cumulus and they can be in any part of the atmosphere.
Special cumulus clouds which bring thunderstorms are called cumulonimbus.
Cumulonimbus clouds are dark because their bases are low, but their tops can reach high up into the atmosphere.
Rain can form in any part of a cumulonimbus cloud. Rain which does not reach the ground is called virga. . Stratus:
Clouds that are flat and look like blankets in the sky are called stratus.
Rain can also fall from stratus clouds.
If rain is a steady drizzle which lasts for a while, it most likely comes from stratus clouds. Cirrus
Thin, wispy clouds are called cirrus and are usually high up in the atmosphere.
They are made of ice crystals since the higher air is colder. There is not enough moisture in cirrus clouds to cause rain.
You cannot have rain without clouds, and you cannot have rainbows without them either.
Rain:
Precipitation in the form of rain or snow occurs when particles of water or ice are large enough to reach the ground.
The chief difference between a cloud drop and a rain drop is size. A typical rain drop has a volume that is more than a million times that of a cloud drop. Thus it takes many cloud droplets to make up a single raindrop.
When our atmosphere gets poluted we are suseptable to acid rain.
Snow:
Snow has a chemical composition of water (H20)
Snow is basically made up of crystals of frozen water (ICE).) Snow is ice crystals and ice crystals have six points. However, one snowflake can consist of multiple crystals. Temperatures must be below freezing (0 Celsius or 32 Fahrenheit) for snow to form.
Snow continues to challenge weather experts. It is still very difficult to predict and is surprisingly hard to measure once it has f Rainbows:
Rainbows are caused by sunlight passing through very small water drops.
This is why you can make your own mini-rainbow with a garden hose if it has a fine spray. allen. Learn more about snow
Grade Level(s): 3
Subject(s):
Interdisciplinary
Duration: Five 45-60 minute sessions
Description: 5 day unit covering the topics of weather, food groups, immigration using integrated curriculum
Goals: The students will understand about certain types of weather, about the food groups, and about immigration.
Objectives:
1. After the students see the cover of Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett they will predict that the book is weather and food related. Two word walls will be produced surrounding weather and food. 2. After discussing and defining types of weather, the third grade students will define three out of the six weather types on a written handout. 3. With a pinky partner, the third grade students will demonstrate their knowledge of food groups by illustrating a picture using a food of their choice and by writing a four- five sentence story to explain their picture. 4. Through discussion, third grade students will compare the immigration of the people in Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs , Grandfather's Journey , and The People From Kosovo for ten minutes. 5. As a group, the third grade will calculate the measurements of the ingredients for our pancakes with 95%-100% accuracy.
Materials:
Story books o Grandfather's Journey o The People From Kosovo o Shel Silverstein's poem: "Pancakes" paper for word walls markers blank paper lined paper five minute review questions pancake ingredients easel test questions
Procedure:
Day 1:
After an introduction to the cover of the book, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, by Judi Barrett, the third grade students will brainstorm predictions for what will happen in the book by listing 25 weather or food related topics on separate word walls.
Teacher will then read, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs to the children.
Students will compare their predictions to what really happened in the book.
Assignment: Children will bring to school tomorrow the weather forecast out of a newspaper, from the internet, television, or radio.
Day 2:
Do a five-minute review with the following questions:
1. What book did we read yesterday? 2. What two topics did we create word walls around?
3. What flew across the kitchen at breakfast in the book?
Discuss and define the following types of weather: snow, fog, rain, tornado, hurricane, and flood.
Relate different types of weather that we have discussed and defined to the different food disasters in the book.
Students will share the weather forecast information they found. They need to tell the class where the information was found.
Hand out a fill-in-the-blank sheet for students to define three out of the six weather types.
Assignment: Children will bring to school tomorrow a weather-related disaster that caused people to have to move. Sources that can be recommended to use are radio, television, internet, and newspapers. Allow students time to utilize the internet and newspapers to find information during their study time (for students who do not have access to these materials at home).
Day 3:
Do a 5-minute review with the following questions:
1. Yesterday, what weather terms did we discuss that are seen mostly in cold weather?
2. What weather terms did we discuss that are considered disastrous?
3. What kind of weather resembled mashed potatoes in Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs?
Define the five food groups.
Reread Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs to the students.
Explain to the students that they will be producing a story, with pictures and words, in which food falls from the sky.
Ask students to get a pinky partner.
Have the students designate a student as an author and a student as an illustrator.
Hand out a piece of blank white paper and lined paper to each group.
Explain to the students that their story needs to be 4-5 sentences long, has to include a date, and the name of the food(s) used in the story. When titling their story they must incorporate a type of weather and their food in the title. Give the students the example of a title: Carrotcane=carrots in a hurricane.
Students turn in their story with both group members names on both pieces of paper.
During P.E. class, the students will simulate walking on peanut butter and jelly using wrestling/gymnastics mats with double-sided tape in miscellaneous areas.
Assignment: Tomorrow, students will share their favorite part of the book. Every student must have a different reason why it was their favorite part of the book.
Day 4:
Do a 5-minute review with the folloiwng questions:
1. What was your favorite part of the story?
2. What is(are) your reason(s) for liking that part?
3. What did it feel like to walk on peanut butter and jelly?
Ask students to explain what immigration means.
Define immigration as: to leave one country and settle in another.
Read Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say.
Ask the students the following questions:
1. Did anyone in Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs immigrate?
2. Where did they immigrate to?
3. What do you think life would be like in a new country?
4. What challenges would you face?
Introduce Micki Terrill and children/adults from Kosovo.
Assignment: Children should try to find out what country their ancestors came from.
Day 5:
Do a 5-minute review using the following questions:
1. Where were your ancestors from, if you know? 2. Were there any interesting stories that have been passed down?
3. What would you make your raft from to travel to a new country?
Read Shel Silverstein's poem, "Pancakes."
Write on an easel the ingredients, amounts, and directions for the pancake recipe.
Have children calculate how much of each ingredient is needed to make enough pancakes for the whole class.
Make the pancakes.
Eat the pancakes.
Test: we will use questions from the daily 5-minute reviews.
Assessment:
1. Evaluate the learners with the 5-minute reviews each day, their daily assignments, the 10-point test, and their discussions.
Background Information for Weather Unit
There is water in the air at all times. It may be in the form of a gas (water vapor), as a liquid (droplets), or as a solid (ice, snow). The amount of water vapor in the air is called humidity. Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air. The relative humidity is the amount of vapor the air is holding expressed as a percentage of the amount it could hold (e.g. 85% humidity). The higher the humidity, the "stickier" you feel.
The sun warms the air, land, and water causing the evaporation of liquid water into water vapor. As the warm, moist air rises it begins to cool and can no longer hold the water vapor, which condenses and falls as rain. Under certain conditions the water droplets freeze or stick together forming snow, sleet or hail. Clouds are made up of billions of tiny water droplets, which collide, get bigger and heavier and fall as rain. (One raindrop contains a million times more water than a tiny cloud droplet.) If the air above the ground is near or below freezing, the precipitation is snow. Sleet is formed when rain falls through a thick layer of very cold air and freezes. Hailstones form in violent thunderstorms. They begin as crystals and add layers like an onion, and can become the size of softballs. Clouds in contact with the ground are sometimes called fog.
The sun is the source of energy that drives weather. It warms the earth's surface unevenly, making air move (wind) and powering the water cycle. Air moving from high to low pressure areas causes winds. There are major wind patterns in the world called prevailing winds. There are also localized wind patterns influenced by land forms and bodies of water (e.g., mountain winds, sea breezes). Ask: What is the name of the unit? Ask: Have you seen a puddle disappear or dry up after it rains? Where does the water go? Does all the water soak into the ground? (The water escapes into the air in small droplets that we call water vapor. These drops are too tiny to see as they go into the air.) Today's activity will help you see what happens to the water from the puddle.
Ask three children to come to the front of the room to help you. Give each of the children a clear plastic cup that has a mark " from the bottom of the cup. Now ask each child to pour water into his cup so that it just reaches the line. Ask one child to place his cup in a very warm, sunny location. The second child is to place his cup in a cool, shady location. The third child is to place his cup in a location with a draft. After several hours note what has happened to the water in the cups. The children should see that the water level has gone down more in the cups placed in the warm, sunny location and in the location with the draft than in the shady location. Tell the children that the water has slowly disappeared into the air. It could not possibly soak into the soil in this situation. The way water escapes into the air is called evaporation. The air is full of invisible water vapor because water evaporates from rivers and seas all the time. Ask: What is
BCP DRAFT SCI 3
Second Grade - Science - Lesson 1 - Weather water vapor? (Tiny drops of water that escape into the air are water vapor.) Ask: What is the process of evaporation and how does it happen? (Evaporation is the process of water escaping into the air. It happens at all times, but it happens much more quickly when the air is warm and it is windy. Evaporation occurs when water vapor is heated.) Ask: What happens to the water that is in clothing that has been washed and hung on the line to dry? (It evaporates.)
Ask : What happens when you take a can of soda out of the refrigerator and hold the can for a little time? (The outside of the can gets wet.) Tell the children that this is condensation at work. It is the way we get water back into our world. You will show them another example of condensation similar to the one of the soda can. Fill a jar with ice cubes and put a lid on it. The jar is being made very cold. Ask: Does anything happen to the outside of the jar? (Water forms on the jar.) Have a child come up and wipe the jar with a tissue and note that the tissue is wet. Water droplets form on the jar because the air near the jar is cooled by the ice-cold jar. When water vapor in the air cools, the drops get big enough to see. This is called condensation. Condensation can be seen in another way. When water boils, steam is given off. The tiny drops of steam form a mist. The boiling water gives off a hot vapor. This vapor cools as it meets colder air and turns into drops you see as steam. Ask: What is the process of condensation and how does it happen? (Condensation is the process of water returning to the air. It happens all the time. Condensation occurs when water vapor meets cooler air.) Tell the children that clouds are made up of condensation drops that form when water vapor rises from the ground and meets the cold air above. When tiny drops in the clouds come together and get heavier, they fall as rain.
BCP DRAFT SCI 4
Second Grade - Science - Lesson 2 - Weather
Adapted from STARS "The Weather Report" Lesson 6 - What's Up?
Objective
Investigate the formation of clouds.
Materials
Tea kettle and hot plate (or electric tea kettle), water, metal spoon
Per team: jar, pie plate, ice, flashlight, cloud worksheet, attached
Background Information
Clouds are formed when water evaporates into the air. As the evaporated water rises and meets cooler air, it condenses into tiny drops of water which form around bits of dust. When the water droplets get heavy enough they fall from the cloud as precipitation
Read the directions from the "Let's Make Clouds" worksheet as the groups follow along. In groups have the children conduct the experiment. Circulate amongst the children to put hot water from the tea kettle into each group's jar. After the experiment is completed, ask the groups what the clouds were made of (tiny drops of water).
Tell children that another time they make clouds is when they can see their breath on cold days. What happens is that the warm, wet air from their mouths condenses and becomes visible when it comes in contact with the cold air outside. Ask: What other things have you seen that make clouds? (a radiator, a steam iron, a dishwasher or washing machine if you open it mid-cycle, a bathroom
Second Grade - Science - Lesson 3 - Weather reader to cover the cup with the plastic wrap. Place three or four ice cubes on top of the plastic wrap and ask the children to watch and see what happens. (Some of the hot water evaporates. It turns into tiny invisible droplets. Because the air is warm and can hold lots of moisture, the droplets stay in the air until they get into the cold air near the plastic. The cold air near the plastic causes the moisture to condense into drops. The drops join together to make bigger drops. Then they fall back into the water.) Have the reporters from each group explain what happened in their cups. (Water formed on the plastic.) Ask the recorders if they know why the water formed. (The ice cooled the air and since cool air cannot hold as much moisture as warm air, the droplets condensed into water.)
Explain to the children that the water in the world goes around like this all of the time. Water evaporates from seas, rivers, and the soil. The invisible droplets condense and make clouds. The water falls back as rain, sleet, hail, or snow.
Ask the children to name some types of precipitation. (rain, sleet, hail, snow) Ask them what happens to the water in warm air when the air becomes cold. (It appears as condensation or precipitation.) Ask: How might you feel when the relative humidity is high? (sticky)
Instruct the children to color, cut and paste to complete The Water Cycle worksheet. It is a good review of today's lesson.
Objectives
Define wind.
Understand what causes wind.
Understand that wind blows from different directions.
Materials
A pencil with an eraser, a thumbtack, a pattern for a windmill, a pair of scissors/child
Procedure
At the end of this lesson the children will make a windmill. It would be nice if this could be done on a day when the children could go outside and observe the wind blowing their windmills. If this is not possible, perhaps the teacher could use a fan to simulate wind.
Read the following poem aloud. Do not read the title. Ask the children to listen carefully and to try and figure out what the author is describing.
I saw you toss the kites on high
And blow the birds about the sky; And all around I heard you pass,
Like ladies' skirts across the grass--
I saw the different things you did,
But always you yourself you hid.
I felt you push, I heard you call,
I could not see yourself at all--
O you that are so strong and cold,
O blower, are you young or old?
Are you a beast of field and tree,
Or just a stronger child than me?
(The Wind, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
Ask individual children if they can tell you what the poet is describing. Discuss all responses and see if you can reach a consensus. Ask: What might be a good title for this poem? Explain to them that wind is moving air. It is a powerful but invisible force. Ask: Can you name some things that you have seen that let you know that the wind is blowing? Write the things the children mention on the board. Explain to the children that the sun's heat warms the air. The air in one place is warmer than the air in another place near it. Warm air is thinner and lighter than cool air. When heavier, cool air touches warm air, it presses against it and pushes. Some of the warm air moves sideways, and some of it moves up. It pushes things as it rises. As the warm air keeps moving to the side and up and out of the way, the cool air flows into its place. This movement of the air is the wind. Ask if anyone has seen a bird rising without flapping its wings. Explain that the bird is flying in warm air. The warm air is rising and pushing the bird. Most of BCP DRAFT SCI 13
Second Grade - Science - Lesson 6 - Weather the air all over the surface of the earth is moving, a little or a lot, most of the time.
Ask the children if they can tell you something that might happen when the wind blows very, very hard. Add what they tell you to the list you have started on the board. Tell the children that very strong wind storms have their own special names. Ask if anyone knows some of the names of these storms (hurricane, tornado, typhoon). Explain that the strongest winds are called hurricanes. They can break up buildings and knock down trees. The U.S. Weather Bureau calls a wind a hurricane when it blows as fast as 74 miles per hour. A hurricane can be over 500 miles wide. A tornado is also a powerful spinning wind. The path of a tornado is often only as wide as a city block, but it can spin as fast as 500 miles an hour. It sucks up things in its path, like a huge vacuum cleaner. It can cause a great deal of damage. Fortunately, very strong windstorms occur much less frequently than gentle breezes which cool in the summer or blustery gusts which blow leaves from trees in the fall.
Ask: How can you tell the direction of the wind? (the direction in which the trees bend, the direction in which leaves are blowing) Explain that winds are named after the direction they come from - north winds blow from the north, south winds from the south. Ask if anyone has seen a weather vane (the orioles [birds] on the scoreboard at Camden Yards, an arrow on top of a barn). A weather vane can show the direction of the wind.
Ask: What is moving air called? (wind) Ask: What warms the air? (heat from the sun) Ask: Is all air at the same temperature? (no) Ask: Is warm air heavier or lighter than cold air? (lighter) Ask: Since it is lighter, would you think that it would float up or move down? (float up) When the cold air presses down on the warm air and the warm air moves up and to the side, we feel the wind.
BACKGROUND: Weather is a phenomenon that we experience each day, but yet it is scientifically complex. Many children think that we can predict the weather exactly. They see weather personalities on the television with assurances that it will be a sunny or a rainy day. Children often forget those times when the weather person's prediction was wrong. The atmosphere is forever on the move. Movement is not only because the Earth is rotating on its axis, but temperature and moisture differences causes shifts in the movements. The lowest part of the atmosphere is constantly swirling and stirring which is an area called the troposphere. It is here that everything we call weather occurs. PROCEDURE: 1. Give students the weather placemats and/or Internet access. We recommend Dan’s Wild Weather Page, An Interactive weather page for kids by Dan Satterfield. Chief Meteorologist for Newschannel 19 in Huntsville, Alabama. This site easily directs students to other sites where they can find answers. http://www.whnt19.com/kidwx 2. Use the placemats to show students a weather map. Review the 4 elements of weather: moisture, air pressure, wind, and temperature. A meteorologist someone who Math/Science Nucleus © 1990,2000 4 studies the weather would also include humidity (the amount of uncondensed water vapor in the air), visibility (the maximum horizontal distance at which you can see an object), and radiation (the number of hours of bright sunshine per day). 3. Ask students the following questions which they can answer on their worksheet. Make sure they reference where they found the answers. a. What is weather? Weather is a condition of the air outside. b. How does the sun affect the weather? The Sun provides heat. Some parts of the world heat up differently. The differences cause instabilities in the air, which will provide weather. c. What makes the wind? The Sun gives us heat. The Sun and the air together give us wind. d. How does moisture precipitate in the atmosphere? In lab students will be concentrating on looking at condensation products and precipitation. Water vapor may condense into a liquid or solid particles which when formed on the ground is termed dew and when formed in the air is termed cloud. When cloud particles become large enough to precipitate, they can fall in the forms of rain, snow, sleet (frozen raindrops), and hail (a complex of clear ice).
Humidity: Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. Relative humidity is the amount of water vapor that is currently in the air compared to how much the air can hold at a specific temperature. Relative humidity is measured in percents, with 100% being the highest amount of water vapor the air can hold at a particular temperature. Fifty percent humidity would be half the amount of water vapor the air can hold at the same temperature. Humidity is measured using a hygrometer. Humidity can greatly contribute to your discomfort on a hot, muggy day. Have you ever heard the phrase, “It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity”? Humidity can make a hot day seem hotter since humidity prevents sweat from evaporating from out bodies as fast as it would in low humidity. When sweat evaporates, it cools us. So a very humid day can feel a lot hotter than a day of the same temperature with low humidity.
Precipitation: Precipitation is any form of water that comes out of the atmosphere and hits the ground. Precipitation could be drizzle, rain, snow, sleet or hail. The form the precipitation takes is determined by the temperature of the air near the ground and up in the atmosphere where the clouds are. Did you know that much of the precipitation the world over begins as snow but thaws before it reaches the ground as rain? If the air below such clouds weren’t warm, imagine how many snow days you might take off school! Precipitation is often measured using a rain gauge.
Water is a very versatile substance; it can be a solid, liquid, or gas. It has the ability to change into all these states of matter that make water ideal for making different types of weather. Children do not understand that water is a common component of air and can be “pulled” out. Condensation which is what this sweat on a glass is called, produces dew. Dew does not fall like rain. It is just water vapor that becomes liquid on a solid surface that has been cooled below a certain temperature. This cooling usually happens during a clear, cool night, but disappears once the morning Sun evaporates the dew. Frost is formed like dew, but at temperatures below freezing. The water vapor changes directly to small, fine frost crystals without condensing into water drop first. The dew point is the temperature at which the atmosphere is saturated with water vapor. A given volume of air containing higher amount of water vapor has a higher dew point than the same volume of drier air. The dew point gives an indication of the humidity. In meteorology the dew point is applied in the prediction of where and when clouds will form. Math/Science Nucleus © 1990,2000 7 In this lab the students will take a close look at what evaporation, condensation, and precipitation mean, by actually creating the different phases. These words are best defined by watching the phenomena. Otherwise, the terms mean very little. Although students live through weather system after system, they rarely observe what is actually occurring. PROCEDURE: If you do these examples slowly, students will be able to see these phenomena occurring all around them, just by observing! Experiment 1. Place some ice in a small clear dish or watchglass. Pour very hot water (almost boiling) into a beaker. Place the crucible on top of the beaker. In a little while the water will condense on the upper side of the crucible and a few drops will fall as "rain." This is an example of condensation. Experiment 2. Fill a beaker about 1/3 full of water. Add 1 piece of ice and place the thermometer in the beaker. Wait a few minutes. If there is no condensation on the outside of the beaker, add another piece of ice. Continue until "dew" forms on the outside of the glass. Record the temperature at this point, this is called the "dew point." Experiment 3. Put two scoops of ice into a beaker and one scoop of salt. When you start to see ice form on the outside of the beaker, measure the temperature of the ice and salt mixture. This is the temperature it would have to be on this day for frost to form. The salt is added to quickly melt the ice into water vapor, frost is nothing more than frozen water vapor. When you make ice cream, the salt is used in a similar manner.
The troposphere creates conditions that produce severe storms in different areas. Some areas are more prone to certain conditions than others. For instance hurricanes commonly occur on the east coast of the United States originating in the warm waters south or southeast of Florida. Moisture and wind direction in the troposphere must be correct for such weather phenomena to happen. Thunderstorms, generated by temperature imbalances in the atmosphere, are a violent example of convection. The warming of the air near the Earth's surface and/or the cooling of the air above the surface causes instabilities and convective overturning of various layers of hot and cold air. A severe thunderstorm may spawn a tornado, a violently rotating column of air which descends from a thunderstorm cloud system. On the average, tornadoes move about 30 miles an hour, however, some move very slowly while others speed along at 60 miles an hour or more. Floods are a natural and inevitable part of life along the rivers of our country. Some floods occur seasonally when winter or spring rains, coupled with melting snows, or torrential rains associated with tropical storms. Drains, small tributaries, and river basins fill with too much water, too quickly and overtop its bank. Other floods are sudden, resulting from heavy localized rainfall. These flash floods are raging torrents which rip through river beds, urban streets, coastal sections and mountains canyons after heavy rains, and sweep everything before them. Hurricanes are storms that start over tropical waters. The blazing Sun beats down on the ocean waters day after day and the air above this water gets hot. As cold air moves in, it pushes the hot air up until the hot air reaches a cool layer of air. The water vapor Math/Science Nucleus © 1990,2000 10 condenses very suddenly and becomes a driving rain. Cooler air from the outside moves in, in a whirling motion, like water going down a drain. The center or "eye" of the hurricane is calm, but all around it the winds and rain are swirling. PROCEDURE: 1. There are many books and Internet sites on different meteorological conditions where students can get more information. In a book like Tornado Alert, the author weaves information with a story. When having the students read this book, inform them they are going to get asked questions. You may want to give the questions before the class reads the book aloud, so students can take notes of the answer. If you only have one book have certain students read a page in front of the class. 2. You may want to have the students play with the “Tornado in a Bottle” before or just after you read the book. Don’t quite tell them why they are playing. (You will later ask them if this “model” of a tornado is scientifically accurate.) 3. Ask the following questions to see if students can transfer knowledge from a literature book. You can easily add to the list. a. Why does a real tornado “twist?” Cold air meets warm air. The warm air is lighter and moves upward rapidly. As the warm air moves upward it spins around. As the warm air rises it spreads out, giving it a “funnel” look. b. If you don’t live in “tornado alley” should you know how to protect yourself? Yes, because you never know when you may be traveling into such an area. c. Is the tornado in the bottle the same as a real tornado? No, the “twirling” action is caused by a physical circular motion. In a real tornado the motion is caused by warm and cool air. The water temperature in the bottle is the same throughout. d. How does a tornado “suck” up houses? [Example of not all questions are answered in one book?] This was not answered in the book. The air pressure inside the funnel plunges several hundred millibars lower than the air pressure outside. This creates a “vacuum cleaner” type suction that can tear trees and suck house up in the funnel. When the tornado stops, the items then plumage to the ground. Temperature: Temperature is the amount of heat (hotness or coldness) of an object or substance such as, you guessed it, air! Temperature can also be thought of as a measure of the speed of atoms and molecules. As energy is added, molecules and atoms move faster and the temperature increases. As energy is released, atoms and molecules move more slowly and the temperature decreases. This is an important idea to remember when it comes to weather! It explains a lot of what happens when weather changes and why it changes the way it does. The sun is the source of the energy that warms the air, oceans and land surfaces on earth. Temperature is measured using a thermometer (see Thermometer).
Thermometer: Temperature is measured using a thermometer and the units of temperature are usually given as degrees Fahrenheit or degrees Celsius, also known as Centigrade (although that term is not used much anymore). Most scientists use Celsius units, as do meteorologists in other countries. People in the United States seem to prefer Fahrenheit, so most TV weather people use that scale.
Wind: Wind is air moving over the earth’s surface. Most winds are caused by either topography or the movement of high and low pressure systems, or fronts. If two fronts come together that are not very different in humidity and temperature, gentle winds will result. In areas where fronts of very different temperature and humidty come together, high winds will result. Winds on the ground can be very different from winds high up in the atmosphere. Winds that are high up are affected by the rotation of the earth more than by high and low pressure systems. Air Pressure: Air pressure, also known as atmospheric pressure, is the weight of air above a given point. Air pressure is usually measured with an instrument called a barometer (see Barometer).
Changes in the air pressure or barometric pressure mean a change in weather. Barometers are used to predict the weather depending on whether the air pressure is rising or falling. Higher pressures usually mean clear weather because air is sinking toward the earth. Lower pressures usually mean bad weather because air is rising.
Barometer: A barometer is an instrument used to measure air pressure. Air pressure is usually expressed in units of millibars (mb) or inches of mercury (in. Hg.). At sea level, standard air pressure is 1013.25 mb. or 29.92 in. Hg. Changes in the air pressure or barometric pressure mean a change in weather. Barometers are used to predict the weather depending on whether the air pressure is rising or falling. Higher pressures usually mean clear weather because air is sinking toward the earth. Lower pressures usually mean bad weather because air is rising.
Cloud Formation : Clouds form as air rises, expands and cools. This expansion and cooling causes condensation to occur. Condensation is simply the process by which water vapor turns to water. If there is dust, pollution or small particles in the air, the water vapor will condense around these small particles and form clouds.
Conduction: Conduction is the transfer of heat from an area of warmer temperature to an area of colder temperature. Heat is transferred from a substance or through a substance by molecular activity. A hot parking lot or a warm ocean can conduct heat to the air above it.
Convection: Convection is the motion of air upward, caused by heating. For example a hot parking lot can heat the air above it and this heating causes the air to rise.
Weather is a big part of our everyday lives, affecting how we dress, where we go, and even what we talk about. Talk about…..
Ways we can keep warm Clothes we need to wear dependent upon the weather How Bing helped the Locals Dressing and undressing
Focus Activity Wrapping up warm (see overleaf
Follow-on Activities
Putting on hats, coats, gloves etc. Put warm clothes in the role play areas indoors and outdoors Turn the life experience area into a winter clothes shop Others ways of keeping warm; jumping, flapping arms etc. and look at our red faces
Wrapping Up Warm Aim To increase the awareness of how we should dress dependent depending on the weather Resources. Various items of clothes to fit either a doll, teddy bear or child. To include clothes for summer and winter A4 paper with an outline of a person drawn onto it Various collage materials including, fleece, wool, warm fabrics Scissors Glue
Guidelines Discuss with the children how we dress for different weather. Ask the children to dress a doll/bear or choose a child for different types of weather. Give each child a piece of paper with a person drawn onto it. Ask them to choose suitable collage materials to “dress” the person for winter. Use the people to form a winter clothes display To be able to name various types of weather in the world and the U.S.
To be able to talk about how weather effects the state or country.
Materials pencils newspapers weather channel (optional) local forecasts on T.V.(optional)
Activity:
Have the students find the 5 day forecast in the newspaper. Have them talk to each other about what the different forecasts were for different days. After they have small group discussion have them work together to give different types of weather that could happen. Then list the weather on a large sheet of paper and leave it hanging up during the weather unit.
Next have the students watch the weather for the next week and see if the forecast was correct. What was the percent of the time it was correct. 50%, 60% or lower??
Discussion: 1. If they forecast snow what do you think the city will do to prepare for the snow??? 2. If the weather calls for high winds what could happen to electricity? 3. Do you think there are more traffic accidents when it is snowing or sunny out? 4. What do some people do to prepare for snow?
Key Vocabulary Cold, warm, clothes, material, snow, frost, wind, hat, scarf, gloves, wool
Health & Safety Ensure the children are aware of the dangers of putting things around their necks if playing with the scarves. Provide scissors that can cut easily but do not have a sharp end. Ensure glue is non toxic
Title - Cloud Unit, Types of Clouds By - Debbie Haren Primary Subject - Science Secondary Subjects - Grade Level - 2 Note: This is a four-part lesson idea, with all four parts below.
Objectives: To learn the 5 types of clouds and be able to describe the differences in them. To also learn what a cloud is and how it is formed.
Part I. Procedure: Explain to the class the definition of a cloud. It is a visible collection of a large number of tiny water droplets or ice particles being carried by current of air. Clouds are an indicator of approaching weather. Some clouds indicate weather that is fine and others tell of approaching storms.
Now be sure to tell students the different types of clouds. 1. Cirrus: thin wispy and white. They are located high in the sky and are almost entirely made up of ice particles. These types of clouds often are seen before rain or snow. 2. Cumulus: white, fluffy and round. They are seen on nice days. 3. Cumulonimbus: tall vertical clouds. Often called thunderheads. They usually produce lightening and storms. 4. Stratus: low hanging clouds that are in layers that look like a gray blanket. They look like haze in the sky. These types of clouds can become fog if they get low enough in the air. 5. Nimbostratus: dark clouds that normally are seen when rain or snow is happening all day long.
Explain to the children that there are 3 basic types of clouds: Cirrus, Cumulus and Strauts and there are many examples of them. The word Nimbus in front of any type of word or cloud name means a cloud that produces precipitation.
Procedure for activity: Materials: blue construction paper, cotton balls, dry tempera paint, water colors and a marker. Description and examples on a paper of each type of cloud formation for students to look at.
Now, have students do different activities in different centers dealing with cloud formations: One such examples of a center would be to use cotton balls to make the different types of clouds. The tempera paint can be used to lightly cover over the cotton balls with to look like gray or hazy weather. I would suggest gray tempera pain. Just dab a few drops of glue on the cotton ball and sprinkle the dry tempera paint onto the glue. If you do not want to use the tempera paint just use the cotton balls to make thick clouds or tear apart the cotton balls to make thin wispy clouds. Then glue them onto blue paper and then have the students mark at the bottom what type of cloud he/she made and a little bit about that type of cloud. 1 sentence should be enough. If the weather happens to be nice it would also be a good idea to take the students outside and have them look for different types of clouds in the sky. Then have them come back in and make that cloud on their paper.
Part II. Review with the students the types of clouds you have been studying. Then pick out books that talk about different types of clouds and weather patterns. Talk with the students about how sailors might have used the clouds to help them in their travels. Have the children research on the computer using the Internet any types of poems that deal with clouds. Have students work in groups and find a poem that they like and have them copy it off the Internet and then talk about the poem together. Some questions for them to talk about are: How are the clouds described? What type of cloud do you think the poet is talking about? What kind of weather is happening that the poet is describing? Is it stormy, beautiful?? What does the poet compare the clouds or wind too? Do you think this poem is realistic or fantasy? Who is the author of the poem? Do you think the poet likes clouds or not? Why do think this? Give an example from the poem to support your belief.
Procedure: Have the students write a paragraph about the poem and have them discuss the questions above in the paragraph. Make sure they remember that making a paragraph is not just answering the questions but putting them in the form of a paragraph that can stand by itself and be read by itself and make sense. Have the students pick a partner and when they are done making a paragraph have the other person proofread their paragraph for grammar and spelling errors. Explain to the students that proof reading is very important when writing a paper or paragraph. Have students then turn in the paragraph for a grade with a copy of the poem they got off the Internet. I think one of the last things they should include on their paragraph is if they liked the poem or not and why.
Have Fun!! Part III. Procedure: Talk about and review the different types of cloud formation that can be seen in the sky. Now lets think about weather we have experienced in our lifetime. Can anybody tell about a day they can remember that pertains to the weather that day? For instance a windy day or a very cloudy or foggy day. How did it affect your mood that day? What if it rained all day? How would that effect your day? How would it change what you're going to wear? Have students talk about a day they remember and what the weather was like and what happened that day. For instance I remember a snowstorm and how the day was very gray, and it looked like you could almost touch the clouds they were all over the place like one big huge cloud!! It snowed for days and ended up being the blizzard of 1976 in Ohio.
Have students write a paragraph and then make a picture to show the weather they are describing in their story. Use markers or crayons to make the picture.
Objectives: To realize how the weather affects what happens to us and how we go about our day. If it is snowy, rainy or just cloudy it affects our mood and our activities for the day!
Discussion: Talk to the children about how important it is to know what the weather is supposed to be like before traveling somewhere. For instance what is the weather like in Florida right now? Check it out on the Internet and write it down!!!
Part IV. Materials: Paper and markers
Procedure: Divide the class up into several groups and give them a term such as: rain, wind, snow and storm. Have them put the word you gave them at the top of the poster and then have them use different words to describe different variations of that weather. Or use words to describe how it sounds. Have them make pictures to go with the word. Some examples might be for rain: pitter-patter, sprinkle, downpour, and shower. Some examples for snow might be: flurries, blizzard and snowdrifts and blowing snow. The children will probably get the idea once you give them a few examples for each type of weather. Let them use construction paper and other materials in the room to make the poster 3 d if they would like. For instance little bit of paper rolled and glued onto paper make great hail and snow!!
Objectives: This lesson is to have students learn to use adjectives to describe the weather. The more they use adjectives in everyday language the better they will be at using them in their day-to-day writing!!!
As always HAVE FUN!!
Extension: You could also have the students look through magazines and find different pictures of weather in National Geographic magazines and then glue them onto their posters!! They students could also go home and talk to their family about weather stories they have to recall. Some might be about rainbows or bad storms. I remember seeing a double rainbow as a child and that is still one of the most fabulous things I have ever seen!!!
Weird Weather Lesson Plan Objectives The children will: Identify various types of weather. Learn what a tornado is, how it is formed, and how it is classified. Create a tornado in a bottle and perform several experiments with it. Learn how a cloud is formed, types of clouds and how they are used in weather predicting. Create a cloud in a can. They will also make fog in a jar. Learn how a rainbow is formed. Make a rainbow and record the results. Materials Picture book entitled Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judith Barrett Materials that are listed for each experiment Take home handouts Computer with internet access LCD projector Procedures 1) “What kind of weird weather have you seen or heard about?” After children give their thoughts tell them they will now listen to a story about some pretty strange weather. Read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. 2) Using the website www.weatherwhizkids.com, discuss what a cloud is, how it’s formed, the different types of clouds and the weather they predict. Also, show how fog is formed. Now tell them that they will be making a cloud and fog, too. Proceed to the two experiments of cloud and fog formation. 3) Using the same procedure as above show children the pictures of a tornado and explain how tornadoes are formed and why they are so dangerous. Proceed to the experiments for making a tornado and performing tornado races. 4) Have children make a rainbow either by using a prism with a flashlight or by using a glass of water and a light source. Let the children color in the rainbow colors that they see. Conclusion Be on the lookout for other weather and see if you can read or find information about it. Who knows? You might even be able to make some of your own.
Moods with the weather.
The children will be able to identify what feelings they are having and be able to express them. The children will be able to draw a picture of the weather reflecting their feelings.
Background Information:
This activity can be used while discussing the weather with a classroom. The children will already have an understanding and previous knowledge of the weather symbols used on TV weather reports. The children will have discussed how different types of weather will and can affect your mood and feelings for the day.
Materials:
Pencil Paper Color Crayons or Markers
Procedure:
1. Give each child a handout that includes the weather symbols used on TV with the weather channel. 2. After handing this paper out, tell the children that sometimes our mood feels like the weather. For instance, today I feel sunny. This could mean that I feel warm, happy, or anything that the children want. 3. The children will have a sheet of paper that they can draw on. Have them write the days of the week Monday through Friday on this sheet allotting space for a picture. They will then draw how they feel using the weather symbols for each day. Assessment:
I will look at the papers each day. The children will be able to express their moods which will allow me to understand each child on a daily basis. It also allows the children to express themselves without having to write in words. I will simply use this project to help me in my everyday teaching, and the children will learn how to express their feelings.
1. r lives every day. For example, it can have an impact on what type of clothing we wear pend our free time. Weathe Separate students into 5 groups. Each group will be assigned a decade of weather songs. You may want to make a sign for each group. 2. Gather the list of songs and print out the words to each song. (See Step #3 below - Downloading Weather Songs) 3. Give each group a list of the songs they can modify for the lesson. Students should be prepared with scratch paper for recording song ideas. 4. It may be beneficial to print the words to the songs out with double or triple spaces between the lines so that students can modify the songs line by line. 5. Distribute a series of vocabulary terms to each student. (See Step #4 below - Where to Find Weather Terms) 6. Discuss the following idea with students - Most of the songs listed for each decade are not truly "weather songs". Instead, some topic in weather is simply mentioned. It will be their job to fully modify the songs to include multiple weather terms (the quantity and level of terms is up to you). Each song will retain the original rhythm, but will now be more educational in nature as students try to make the song actually explain the weather terms. r also affects agriculture, transportation, and industry. Freezing temperatures can damage citrus crops in Florida or Spain, causing a rise in the price of orangesy store. Winter snows often cause delays at airports. Our use of air conditioning during heat waves and heating during cold weather means that utility companies must supp The idea is to immerse students into weather terminology through research, reading, and alternative use of the words. It is my firm belief that students can and will learn vocabulary without even realizing they are learning. When they work together as a team, they are discussing, reading, and evaluating terms. Often, they must also re-write the definitions to the terms to fit them into a song. For that reason alone, students are getting lots of exposure to the true meanings of weather terms and topics. Here are a few great places to find weather terms and explanations... ly more power at those times. Severe weather, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards, can damage property and take livesThe weather affects our lives every dr also affects agriculture, transportation, and industry. Freezing temperatures can damage citrus crops in Florida or Spain, causing a rise in the price of oranges at the grocery store. Winter snows often create hazardous driving conditions. Thick fog may slow during cold weather means that utility companies must supply more power at those times. Severe weather, such as to Students will enjoy this lesson as they collaborate on creating unique songs full of weather vocabulary. But how do you assess the information? You may choose to have students present their songs in a variety of fashions...So, here are a few simple ideas for the evaluation of student performance.
1. Write the songs on poster board for display. 2. Make a check-off-list of the required terms to be included in the song
Reward students by offering to publish their work here! I will publish student work here on my site! Join the weather message board and post the songs, or email me at [email protected].
3. If students are brave enough, they can actually volunteer to sing the songs. I have had students do this and it is a great time! 4. Give a brief pre- and post-test on the words so students can easily see the amount of knowledge gained just by reading and re-reading the vocabulary terms. 5. Create a rubric to assess the quality of word integration in the song. Hand out the rubric ahead of time so students know what to expect. These are just a few ideas. If you use this lesson and would like to offer your tips and ideas, I would love to hear from you! Tell me...What worked for you rnadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards, can damage property and take lives. Everyday when you climb out of bed, regardless of any morning routines you may have, you must plan your day around the weather. Rain or snow, hot or cold, humid or dry, your daily events will likely is affected by the current weather conditions. In fact, even with a five day forecast, you are likely to still look out the window to see what the weather is doing.
Therefore, Weather changes on a daily basis. Th The weather affects our lives every day. For example, it can have an impact on what type of clothing we wear and how we spend our free time. Weather also affects agriculture, transportation, and industry. Freezing temperatures can damage citrus crops in Florida or Spain, causing a rise in the price of oranges at the grocery store. Winter snows often create hazardous driving conditions. Thick fog may slow traffic on the roads and cause delays at airports. Our use of air conditiocanes, and blizzards, can damage property and take lives. e weather affects our lives every day. For example, it can have an impact on what type of clothing we w T The weath WORKSHEET 19
Activity - Weather
Print and copy this worksheet for use in the classroom.
To learn about the weather and how it affects us. The aim
What is weather?
Weather is a description of what's happening with the air, sun, rain and wind when you go outside.
Three things make up the different parts of the weather. They are the sun, air and water.
The sun gives us heat and light.
The air is all around us and covers the earth like a blanket. When it moves you feel it as wind on your face.
The water is in rivers, lakes and oceans and even in the air as clouds.
Weather is important to everyone's life. It affects the games you play, the clothes you wear, how you feel, farming, building, what you eat , and many other things (I love hot soup on cold days!).
Read through the work below and answer the questions and do your What to do drawings in the spaces given.
1. What kind of clothes would you wear on a hot rainy day? Questions
2. Draw some of the clothes you would wear on a hot rainy day.
3. What kind of clothes would you wear on a freezing cold morning?
4. What games would you play on a rainy day?
5. What games would you play on a sunny day? 6. Weather is made up of many things. On TV and radio, you hear weather reports. The weather person talks about different parts of the weather. Write a list of the things that make up the weather? Write as many as you can.
7. Write a letter to a friend telling them about the weather you see outside. Tell them what sort of things you could do in that kind of weather.
er affects our lives every day. For example, it can have an impact on what type of clothing we wear and how we spend our free time. Weather also affects agriculture, transportation, and industry. Freezing temperatures can damage citrus crops in Florida or Spain, causing a rise in the price of oranges at the grocery store. Winter snows often create hazardous driving conditions. Thick fog may slow traffic on the roads and cause delays at airports. Our use of air conditioning during heat waves and heating during cold weather means that utility companies must supply more power at those times. Severe weather, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards, can damage property and take lives. he weather affects our lives every day. For example, it can have an impact on what type of clothing we wear and how we spend our free time. Weather also affects agriculture, transportation, and industry. Freezing te The weather affects our lives every day. For example, it can have an impact on what type of clothing we wear and how we spend our free time. Weather also affects agriculture, transportation, and industry. Freezing temperatures can damage citrus crops in Florida or Spain, causing a rise in the price of oranges at the grocery store. Winter snows often create hazardous driving conditions. Thick fog may slow traffic on the roads and cause delays at airports. Our use of air conditioning during heat waves and heating during cold weather means that utility companies must supply more power at those times. Severe weather, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards, can damage property and take lives. mperatures can damage citrus crops in Florida or Spain, causing a rise in the price of oranges at the grocery store. Winter snows often create hazardous driving conditions. Thick fog may slow trnd heating during cold weather means that utility companies must supply more power at those times. Severe weather, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards, can damage property and take lives. ear and h The weather affects our lives every day. For example, it can have an impact on what type of clothing we wear and how we spend our free time. Weather also affects agriculture, transportation, and industry. Freezing temperatures can damage citrus crops in Florida or Spain, causing a rise in the price of oranges at the grocery store. Winter snows often create hazardous driving conditions. Thick fog may slow traffic on the roads and cause delays at airports. Our use of air conditioning during heat waves and heating during cold weather means that utility companies must supply more power at those times. Severe weather, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards, can damage property and take lives. ow we spend our free time. Weather also affects agriculture, transportation, and industry. Freezing temperatures can damage citrus crops in Florida or Spain, causing a rise in the price of oranges at the grocery sto The weather affects our lives every day. For example, it can have an impact on what type of clothing we wear and how we spend our free time. Weather also affects agriculture, transportation, and industry. Freezing temperatures can damage citrus crops in Florida or Spain, causing a rise in the price of oranges at the grocery store. Winter snows often create hazardous driving conditions. Thick fog may slow traffic on the roads and cause delays at airports. Our use of air conditioning during heat waves and heating during cold weather means that utihick fog may slow traffic on the roads and The weather affects our lives every day. For example, it can have an impact on what type of clothing we wear and how we spend our free time. Weather also affects agriculture, transportation, and industry. Freezing temperatures can damage citrus crops in Florida or Spain, causing a rise in the price of oranges at the grocery store. Winter snows often create hazardous driving conditions. Thick fog may slow traffic on the roads and cause delays at airports. Our use of air conditioning during heat waves and heating during cold weather means that utility companies must supply more power at those times. Severe weather, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards, can damage property and take lives. cause delays at airports. Our use of air conditioning during heat waves and heating during cold weather means that utility companies must supply more power at those times. Severe weather, such as tornadoes, hurricanes,